Don’t be fooled by the appearance of the low numbers, the algorithm that computes the AFQT is very sophisticated. Just because your ASVAB score is 40 doesn’t mean that you only got 40% of the questions correct, it could simply mean that you lack strength in one area, but succeed with high praise in another. Your ASVAB score is only a means by which you are categorized for available positions; it is by no means a measure of intelligence.

Anyone who is planning to enlist in the United States Armed Forces should be familiar with the military’s standards and screening processes. An important part of this screening process is the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), which is a subsection of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This standardized assessment measures a candidate’s skills in the areas of paragraph comprehension, word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning, and mathematics knowledge.

Anyone who is planning to enlist in the United States Armed Forces should be familiar with the military’s standards and screening processes. An important part of this screening process is the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), which is a subsection of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This standardized assessment measures a candidate’s skills in the areas of paragraph comprehension, word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning, and mathematics knowledge.
Educational Opportunities–More educational opportunities are available than ever before. Alternatives to traditional education, such as online courses and weekend or evening programs, allow individuals to obtain higher education while working full-time. New technology, such as live podcasts and streaming videos on demand, make it possible for people to learn at their own pace in their own place. Education is a lifelong process. Many people now choose to combine their education with work experience. For instance, instead of attending a four-year college immediately after high school, some people get a two-year degree in a particular field and then enter the job force. At some point, they may choose to complete a certificate program or a four-year degree to advance in their chosen field. Other people choose to enter the Military to take advantage of the educational benefits and training that is provided. There are a variety of occupations and career paths that you can pursue with different levels of education. Do not rule out a given career field simply because you think that the educational requirements might be more than what you would like to pursue after high school.
Figure out which areas to focus on based on your career goals. If you’re not interested in a job requiring a score on the Mechanical Comprehension subtest, you don’t need to worry about doing well on that subtest. If you don’t need to worry about mechanics, don’t bother preparing for that section. Spend the time on Word Knowledge or Arithmetic Reasoning.
Again, the ASVAB is a wide-ranging exam covering many different areas. The designers of ASVAB practice tests, at least the high quality ones, know this and have spent time researching past tests to come up with practice tests that feature questions covering areas commonly tested for on the real exam. Thus, taking practice tests is a great way to focus on the material that matters most and avoid wasting your time studying content that likely won’t be on the test.
Doing poorly on the ASVAB might mean missing out on the military job that you really want- and maybe not getting in the military at all. If you’re stressed about taking the ASVAB, don’t worry- we’ve got you covered! Our free study guides for the ASVAB will give you an overview of the concepts you need to know and will help you pinpoint the areas you should spend your time studying. From Arithmetic Reasoning to Word Knowledge and every subject in between, our study guides for the ASVAB will help you get the ASVAB score that you need!
The Paragraph Comprehension section of the test measures your ability to read a passage and interpret the information contained within it. You may read a selection and be asked to interpret the author’s purpose, or what a particular word in the passage means, based on the context of the sentence where it appears. To help you better prepare for the exam, the Paragraph Comprehension section of the ASVAB practice test has passages of similar length and style to those on the actual ASVAB test. The CAT-ASVAB test has 11 questions in 22 minutes; the paper-and-pencil version has 15 questions in 13 minutes.
The ASVAB site goes on to explain that “after the final ability estimate is computed, it is converted to a standard score on the ASVAB score scale that has been statistically linked to the ability estimate through a process called equating. Equating studies are conducted for every paper and pencil ASVAB form to ensure that scores have the same meaning regardless of which test form the examinee receives.”

One set of ASVAB scores – Career Exploration Scores – tells you your current strengths in verbal, math, science, and technical skills. The scores allow you to compare your test performance with that of other students at your grade level and can help you determine your readiness for further education and training in different career areas. You will also receive a Military Entrance Score that is important for entry into the Armed Services. You can discuss your score with a military recruiter.

The President, Secretary of Defense and other senior executive officials are advised by a seven-member Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is headed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officer in the United States military and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[20] The rest of the body is composed of the heads of each of the DoD's service branches (the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force) as well as the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. Although commanding one of the five military branches, the Commandant of the Coast Guard is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Despite being composed of the highest-ranking officers in each of the respective branches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff does not possess operational command authority. Rather, the Goldwater-Nichols Act charges them only with advisory power.[21]

Figure 2.7 shows FY 1977 as the low point and FY 1992 as the high point in accessing recruits in Categories I to IIIA. In FY 1977, 34 percent of accessions scored in the top half of the AFQT distribution. Only 13 percent of Blacks, 19 percent of Hispanics, and 20 percent of "Others" scored in Categories I–IIIA. [3] Fifteen years later, in FY 1992, the majority of minority accessions achieved scores in the I–IIIA range (Blacks - 56 percent, Hispanics - 67 percent, "Others" - 67 percent). Hispanics have shown the most marked increase, with a 48-percentage-point gain in Category I to IIIA accessions from FY 1977 to FY 1992.
The Arithmetic Reasoning section of the test measures your ability to solve arithmetic word problems. You may be asked questions such as “If the tire of a car rotates at a constant speed of 552 times in 1 minute, how many times will the tire rotate in half an hour?” Therefore, reviewing common math key words associated with each operation is recommended. For example, if you see the key words “in all,” the problem deals with addition. If the problem asks you to “find the difference,” you are being asked to subtract. If a question asks “how many times” per day or week, you know you are dealing with multiplication. If it asks “how many in each,” you should be thinking about division. The CAT-ASVAB has 16 questions in 39 minutes; the paper-and-pencil version has 30 questions in 36 minutes.
In the 2000s, women can serve on U.S. combat ships, including in command roles. They are permitted to serve on submarines.[39] Women can fly military aircraft and make up 2% of all pilots in the U.S. Military. In 2003, Major Kim Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing her combat damaged A-10 Thunderbolt II with no hydraulic control and only one functional engine after being struck by hostile fire over Baghdad.

There are many misconceptions about what it’s like to serve in the U.S. military. If you don’t know any soldiers personally, you might think of the military as a place for infantry, trudging though rough terrain and loading giant artillery. Although that may have been true in the past, today’s military offers many opportunities that aren’t readily apparent to the typical high school graduate. For example, there are jobs in aviation mechanics, medicine, and accounting. There are also peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts by the United States military that require skills in verbal and written communication. Taking the exam can help you determine if you would be well-suited to one of these occupations.

The various armed forces adopted all of those aspects in 1976. At that point in time, the test was in its written form rather than today’s more common form (computerized test format). The written form covers all of the previously mentioned areas as well, which is why both forms are still available. All-in-all that answers the question concerning the intention of the test.